Published 4:00 am, Monday, August 28, 2006

So much of the Giants' up-and-down season has been about playing up to potential, about not getting down in the dumps when things are looking bleak, that rookie Matt Cain easily could be their poster boy.

The baby-faced pitcher has been heavily hyped since his minor-league days, yet he started off the year so poorly that the Giants skipped his turn in the rotation in May.

Now, he's thundering back like the Giants themselves.

Cain threw seven shutout innings during Sunday's 8-0 dusting of Cincinnati for his 10th win of the year. The victory shaved another game off the Giants' deficit in the NL wild-card race, as San Francisco trails the Reds by two games. The Giants are one win shy of the .500 mark.

Cain struck out nine batters -- twice fanning Ken Griffey Jr. -- and climbed into sixth place on the Giants' rookie single-season strikeout list with 144. It was his third consecutive quality start and continued a trend of dominating outings by Giants starters, who combined for a 1.94 ERA in the past week.

"He's getting better every outing," manager Felipe Alou said of his 21-year-old right-hander. "What I see now is that he realizes the importance of every pitch. Every time he throws a pitch to the plate, he has some thought behind it, some strategy or whatever."

San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain throws to the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning of a baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain throws to the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning of a baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Photo: MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ

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San Francisco Giants' Omar Vizquel drives in two runs with a double off Cincinnati Reds' Kyle Lohse in the second inning of a baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

San Francisco Giants' Omar Vizquel drives in two runs with a double off Cincinnati Reds' Kyle Lohse in the second inning of a baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose ... more

Photo: MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ

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Cincinnati Reds' Ken Grifffey Jr. misses on a pitch as he strikes out against San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain in the sixth inning of a baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006 in San Francisco. San Francisco won 8-0. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) less

Cincinnati Reds' Ken Grifffey Jr. misses on a pitch as he strikes out against San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain in the sixth inning of a baseball game on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006 in San Francisco. San Francisco won ... more

Though control has been an issue at times, Cain walked only two batters while scattering four hits. He threw 124 pitches -- more than Alou would have liked -- but his fastball consistently clocked in the mid-90s.

"I think a lot of times it's concentration, worrying about getting those first two pitches in the zone," Cain said. "If you can get the first two pitches in for strikes, you can kind of move from there."

The Giants and Cain are approaching uncharted territory, with Cain pitching his first full season in the majors. Cain said he didn't expect to feel this good, this late in the year, but he is committed to maintaining his endurance.

Heading into the final month, he is actually a few innings behind his pace from 2005 when the Giants called him to the big club in August. Cain (10-9) knows the wear and tear on his body and mind this season is much heavier than he has experienced in previous years.

Cain has allowed only one run in his last 191/3 innings. He's the first Giants rookie to hit the 10-win mark since Ryan Jensen in 2002 and is tied for the third-most victories among NL rookies.

On Sunday, Cain's teammates gave him plenty of support. The Giants thumped Reds starter Kyle Lohse for five runs in five innings and easily could have had more. They left the bases loaded in the fifth and stranded two runners in the first.

That was effectively the end for Lohse, who snapped a run of three quality starts, but not for the Giants' offense. They added a run in the sixth and two in eighth. Bonds collected three hits and reached base in each of his four plate appearances.

Three for the money

On Sunday, Matt Cain had his third straight excellent start. He picked up victories against the Padres and Reds and took a no-decision in the win against the Diamondbacks: